Nate Diaz urged to put heat on Ben Henderson from start of UFC lightweight title fight

There is something about those Diaz brothers. The ones from Stockton,
California. They are a handful, they do not play by the rules, but still we
want them to succeed. They are the rebels without a cause yet often we
sympathise with them.

Prepared for battle: Nate Diaz is hoping to claim the UFC lightweight crown on Saturday

Perhaps it is their honesty. With a bit of bonkers mixed in. Or is it that we all know someone like them, who would die for us?

Certainly, speak to the fight fraternity, and the brothers are favoured by many. Nate Diaz has garnered clear popularity as he heads into a UFC lightweight title fight here in Seattle on Saturday night.

But are they being realistic? Fighters are often not the best at picking fights, especially those in their same weight division.

There is something of the old school fighter about Diaz, a brawler who wants, it seems, to knock teeth out under the lights on a Saturday night. But behind the snarls and growled asides, there is a fighting brain at work. We have seen that in his last half-dozen fights.

That said, we have seen Henderson show that he knows how to win rounds and how to stay a champion.

British fighters are also showing an interest in the contest. Light-heavyweight Jimi Manuwa sided with the Californian. “t’s a great fight, I like both fighters but I prefer Nate Diaz as a fighter and as a person. I want Nate Diaz to win,” Manuwa told Telegraph Sport.

“It’ll be tough because Benson’s big and strong, he’s a good fighter but Diaz has got the will to break him.”

British welterweight John Hathaway cites Diaz’s form against Jim Miller as his reason for picking Diaz. “The way he performed against Miller, it’s a fight to look back at. He could definitely put it on Ben and I believe Ben might make a mistake and shoot in and get caught in that guillotine. But it’s a great fight, and looking forward to it.”

Hathaway pinpointed the pressure that the Diaz brothers put on their opponents. “They create something very hard to deal with. They can make you fight in a different way. That’s why I’m saying Ben’ll be pressured into a shot, make a mistake and Nate could get a submission.”

There is also a meeting of the old school of old and new school on the main card in BJ Penn's fight with Rory McDonald.

Manuwa is swayed by the legend of the Hawaiian. “It’s a hard fight for both of them. I like both fighters. Rory McDonald’s a great athlete,” he said. “I think I want BJ Penn to win actually. He’s a legend in the sport. If he wins, he’s going to have to stay, and I don’t want BJ to walk away now.”

Hathaway believes Penn must start aggressively against the tyro. “If BJ comes with the right game plan and he’s aggressive and he gets the takedown, it could be good for him.”

“It’s the one thing that BJ doesn’t do enough - actually go for people and take them down and get on top, because every time he’s been on top, he’s incredibly dangerous with the way he controls people and the way he gets submissions. His ground and pound is great.

“If I was a betting man I’d probably go for Rory but I hope BJ wins. I’m a huge fan of his.

“It's almost down to whoever’s going to start first because we all know Rory’s big enough and athletic enough, and has got the technique to shut him down, just wear him down and beat him up.”